Blizzard. Pause. Eleven.

I survived the blizzard of '11.  It was really rough... I had no power for several hours.  That means, gulp, no music.  I went on a mad search for any portable, battery-operated music device.  It was a complete fail.  I would have to be entertained in silence.  But how could this be?  One minute I was listening to Joni Mitchell's "Ladies of the Canyon" album on my record player from the comfort of my calm singer-songwriter environment, laughing at the violent outdoors as the world came to a catastrophic crashing end... and the next thing I know, I'm an actual part of that chaos.  Nonsense.

 = Calm from the Storm

 = What to do when there's no music

Needless to say, my record player is not battery-operated.  Neither is my iPod docking station, nor my giant receiver.  My computer's battery is at its final breath of life and has been warning me for months about ordering a new one.  The CD player in my family room?  Plugs in.  The CD playing alarm clock IS in fact battery operated, but apparently requires those 2-pronged funny looking batteries.  I am fully stocked on Double A's and Triple A's... none of that other crazy stuff.  My amps are definitely not battery operated.  My only option?  The car.

See previous post.

Alas, after hours of finding other means of entertainment, the power finally came back!  The blizzard essentials continued:

But obviously, this whole experience of (said with a deep voice, and a lot of emphasis on each word) Blizzard (pause) '11, got me thinking some more.  What are my essential blizzard songs?  Do they have to be about snow?  Do they have to be comforting?  About winter?  Slow?  Fast and dance party-esque?  I didn't compile any requirements... I just went with my gut instinct.  Apparently, I had a theme in mind.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1) Catie Curtis - "Troubled Mind" or "Falling Silent In The Dark"

         Calming voice, depressing yet simultaneously comforting, classic and timeless... perfect for a blizzard.  Have you seen Catie in concert?  The epitome of a folk artist.  She'll tell you a story that just warms your heart, strum her guitar, invite you into her life for the night.  Initially, I thought "Falling Silent In The Dark," duh, because the lyrics are about snow:  

And the snow falls right by my bed at night / So steady like your heart / Falling silent in the dark

       Then I remembered the comforting aspect of a storm.  As my iTunes continued playing Catie Curtis songs, I thought, "Awww" as I heard "Troubled Mind."  It's always been a fave:

And I'm tired of all the weight / I'm tired of being strong / So won't you come and stay / And let me lay down in your arms / Down in your arms

  Not the best quality... but it's CC with LK!  (Lucy Kaplansky)

2) Joni Mitchell - "Come In From The Cold"

        Yes, I already talked about Joni.  Apparently I run to female folk-singers for blizzards.  It makes sense.  A blizzard is the alpha male, right?  We're running to the complete opposite, the caregiver of sorts, to guide us through the snowstorm.  Ok, that's kind of me talking through my ass.  Here's Joni from 1991.  You can hear it in her voice - the maturity of her words grows as a songwriter.  As a young Joni, she was just discovering life... and now she's ready to come in from the cold :)  

3) Natalie Merchant - "Frozen Charlotte"

       "I want you to remember me that way."  Oh, I'll remember you, Natalie Merchant.  Remember when you made incredible albums like Ophelia?  I understand the artist in you and the direction you're taking with the poetry, children's folk tunes, or whatever it is... but I really miss your own authentic voice (although this album was a personification of all "Ophelia" characters through history - if that's even considered authentic).

4) Ra Ra Riot - "Winter '05"

       Can I rename it... "Winter (Pause) '11""

But I digress...  awww.  

5) For my last choice, I had a few obvious options:  Bob Dylan's "Shelter From The Storm" or "Winter Song" by Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah Barailles.  Hell, I could even go with "Winter" by Tori Amos.  I kind of want to post "Winter Song" just because it's that fitting.  Depressing, buried-feeling (my car is still buried).  Is love alive?  I don't know.  Are strings an essential part of winter songs?  Yes.  Is anything growing beneath the winter snow?  Probably not.  Wow.  Now I'm depressed.  But the video is all about hope... you know, finding the beauty of hope underneath all the buried snow.  Makes me want to go on my rant about the beauty of "6 Feet Under."  But I won't.  Just enjoy the happy ending:

Which leads me to my non-obvious fifth choice:

Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)

    Be on the lookout for Laura.  She may be the next Joni Mitchell - the next Dylan?  The next something.  She's only 21ish, and writes with the maturity of, well, someone well beyond her young twenties.  There's no gimmick to her act.  She writes and she sings with so much purity and honesty... it's damn scary.  

And that, my friends, is what I will be listening to for the remainder of Blizzard (pause) '11.